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greater than that at any other time in human history and far 

 faster than they are being restored." 



The findings of the Environmental Protection Agency's 

 National Water Quality Inventory report, the so-called "305(b) 

 report", released this spring were no rosier. Over 20 years 

 after the passage of the Clean Water Act, the report stated that 

 44% of the nation's rivers and streams still do not meet state 

 water quality standards for designated uses. While these 

 statistics are disturbing, they are not surprising. While the 

 Clean Water Act has improved chemical water quality , it has dnpp 

 little to address pervasive threats to the biological and 

 structural aspects of river health. Accordingly, channelization, 

 inadequate flows from dam-building and diversions, sedimentation 

 and a variety of toxic runoff sources go virtually unchecked. 



In response to this dire picture of our nation's aquatic 

 health, the National Research Council in its report stated 

 strongly that "(t)here is a need for comprehensive, integrated 

 programs that support stream and river restoration at all levels 

 inherent in the drainage hierarchy, from local reaches and 

 tributaries to interstate waterways." It went on to recommend 

 that "a national aquatic ecosystem restoration strategy be 

 developed for the United States," adding that "(a)lthough 

 restoration ecology applied to aquatic ecosystems is in a very 



